BR: 4/26/17 When you think of Latin America, what types of climates do you think are down there? VID

Ch. 7.2 Climate Regions of Latin America World Geography Ch. 7.2 Climate Regions of Latin America

Identify: Where are the Tropical Wet Climates, that promote the growth of Rain Forests?

Tropical Wet Climates Latin America is a large area, covering a wide part of the globe. However, most of it is within the tropics, the part of the world that gets the most direct sunlight (between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn). Thus, most of that area is hotter, and more tropical. Tropical wet climates are found all around Latin America. These areas are filled with rain forests, which can only grow with warm temperatures and heavy rainfall. The Amazon Rainforest in Brazil and some of the surrounding countries houses more plants and animals per square mile than anywhere else on earth! It truly is an amazing place: VID There are smaller rain forests throughout central America, like in Costa Rica, which are an important part of their economy: VID

Tropical Dry Climates Meanwhile, most of the Caribbean, and other nearby parts of Latin America that receive less rainfall are part of the Tropical Dry climate. Much like the savannah in Africa, this area is still hot, but is drier most of the year. This gives the Caribbean its nice sunny climate that it is well known for. From June to November, you have the wet Hurricane Season, when the weather turns wet, and you might want to avoid taking that Caribbean Cruise you’ve been thinking about. VID Despite the dangers of hurricanes, the Caribbean makes a lot of money with its tourism industry, so they don’t seem to let the bad weather get them down. VID

Identify: Away from the Tropics, what are the dominate climates?

Temperate Climates Meanwhile, there are many temperate climates around Latin America, especially south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Specifically, much of this is humid subtropical climate, where winters are short and mild, and summers are long, hot, and humid, like in the Pampas of Argentina, Southern Brazil and Uruguay. SW South America has a Marine West Coast climate, like Western Oregon, Washington, etc., where it is rainier and a bit colder. A bit closer to the equator along the West coast in Central Chile is a Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and rainy winters. It is ideal for growing many crops however, and many fruits are grown there and then exported to the Northern Hemisphere when it is winter there, and summer in the Southern: VID

Dry Climates Meanwhile, the remaining parts of Latin America are quite dry, like Northern Mexico, Coastal Peru and Northern Chile, SE Argentina (Patagonia), etc. They have some grasslands that cover some steppe lands, and hardier shrubs in the more desert regions. VID One of the driest is the Atacama Desert, which stretches along the Pacific coast in Northern Chile. This is in part because of the Rain Shadow Effect, where the moisture that often comes from the East has to climb the Andes Mtns., leaving little moisture for the western side. VID El Nino leads to flooding on the West Coast of South America, and drought in the East. VID

Elevation & Climate Of course, elevation greatly affects climate as well. The mountains in the region, like the Andes for example, have climates based on their altitude, or height. There are four main altitude climate zones: Tierra Caliente (Hot Land); Tierra Templada (Temperate Land); Tierra Fria (Cold Land); & Tierra Helada (Frozen Land)

Altitude Zones Explained: Tierra Caliente: “Hot Land” is the area around sea level, and the temperature stays around 75-80 F. The seasons / weather stay the same all year round, and many different tropical fruits are grown in this climate. From 3000-6000 ft elevation, we have the Tierra Templada (“Temperate Land”), which is cooler, but still often has lots of rain, leading to many forests. Temperatures are usually between 65-75 F, making it quite comfortable, and the most populated climate by people. Things like corn, citrus, coffee, etc. are grown in this area.

Altitude Zones, Cont. 6,000-10,000 elevation is the Tierra Fria or “Cold Land”, where temperatures average around 55 F. This area has forests, grasslands, etc. Farming occurs in the summers, but the crops that do best are those that thrive in cooler conditions, like potatoes, wheat, apples, etc. Finally, the highest from +10,000 ft is the Tierra Helada, or “Frozen Land”. It is very harsh and cold here, as low as 20 F on average. Not much grows here, and few people live at this height.

HW Keep working on your Country Investigation Pamphlets. I’d like to have a Peer Review session on Friday, after the test for these, though the official one will be on Monday. Otherwise, no HW!

There are four main altitude climate zones: Tierra Caliente (Hot Land); Tierra Templada (Temperate Land); Tierra Fria (Cold Land); & Tierra Helada (Frozen Land)